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Athens News Courier (Newspaper) - July 24, 2005, Athens, Alabama
Hot tipsAmerican Red Cross offers advice for staying safe during heat waveRunning ducksArea runners take to the streets in the second-annual Duck & Run 5K
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Serving Athens and Limestone County: A Community of Tradition and Future
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Subscrilier of the day
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Series of blasts leaves 88 dead at Egyptian Red Sea resort
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Hey, Sound Off:
This is to the lady that was so upset over the teenagers she witnessed sharing a marijuana Joint.
I'm not trying to decriminalize the use of marijuana by any means, but I would feel more at ease know ing that our tax money was going toward the arrest of some of these sexual predators and other real criminals; such as the ones plastered on the back pages of this paper. If it bothers you so bad. you should turn in that tag number or you could have made a citizen's arrest.This isn't Mayberry, but it might have worked.
Hey, Sound Off:
I noticed these limgo folks are still in a frenzy. Seems to me like our legislators should get on top of this and clarify what the rules are. And it appears the casinos are being run in the city of Athens. Why don't City Fathers pass an ordinance calling for more accountability? I don't understand why the Bingo bosses are so dad-gum defensive about this.
(let the news w ith yotir morning coffee
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Index
Classified 1-12D
Crossword 14A
Ledger .........16A
Church Bulletin .. .18A
Movie Listing 9A
Obituaries........2A
Mary Hargrave Bailey Clara Denbo Markowitz Lola Mae McLemore Howard Louie Meadows II Opal Birdwell Nash D. Josephine “Jo” Tranter Will Onyal Willis Sports.........1-4B
Daily Bible Moment
c not overcome of evil, hut overcouie evil with good.
Romans f2:21
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6984700002Mayor: ‘Will veto GM vote’
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Ncw's-Courier Reporter Athens Mayor Dan Williams said F'riday that, if necessary, he would use his \'eto powers to override a City Council vote in favor of hiring a Utilities general manager.
The council w'ill vote on a job description for a general manager at Monday night's regularly scheduled meeting; however, Whlliams Dan Williams said he does not know w hen or if the matter of actually hiring a general manager will come to a vote.
The city has been without a Utilities general manager since Tom Craven retired five years ago. Gary Scroggins is Electric Department manager; John Stockton is Water and Wastewater Department manager, and Steve Carter is Gas Department manager.
Williams said that the city could save the cost of a general manager, which he estimates would cost $140,000 in salary and benefits, if he included a list of 18 additional duties to one of the existing managers and increased pay.
Under a city ordinance, the mayor serves as Utilities supervisor. Fie said that department managers now report to him and periodically update him on projects.
Councilmen Ronnie Marks, Harold Wales and Johnny Crutcher favor hiring a general manager. Councilmen Jimmy Gill and Henry White favor the mayor’s plan.
“I want us all to be in agreement,” said Williams in a Friday council work session. “We don’t have to vote on this Monday night.”
Williams said the Utilities do not need someone “micro-managing” the departments and “being up there eight hours a day to clear up things related to budgets and shared business space.”
See GM vote, Page 2A
Wacky, quacky fun in the sun
New's-Courier Kim Rynders
Austin Davis, above, slips and slides on a joyful water ride at the Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful Ole Time Country Festival and Wacky Quack Ducky Derby Saturday at Big Spring Memorial Park in Athens. At right, festival goers watch as rubber duckies make their way toward the Ducky Derby finish line.
In triple digit heat
Working outside under the hot sun
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Meteorologists have predicted temperatures in (he 90s for the next several days and that means rough times could be ahead for those whose occupation calls for them to be outdoors.
Mike Adams, of Adams Quality Homebuilders, has been in the framing business for 25 years and whether it’s hot or cold, they have to brave the elements.
Ilowfver, he does take some actions to be
prepared and help take care of his crew that at any given time can be four to five employees. He said he provides water and Gatorade, when needed, to his workers.
He said they tolerate 90/95-dcgree weather, which is what is predicted for the next several days.
“We usually don’t push it during the summertime,” Adams said.
He said that they get into work about 6 a.m.
See Hot sun, Page 8A
GJ indicts dozens in Limestone
The Limestone County Grand Jury indicted the following people in a recent session:
• Wesley Ryan Harv ey, first-degree possession of marijuana
• Carl Michael Hasting, breaking and entenng a vehicle
• Gary Lynn Harden, third-degree burglary
• Mark Douglas Freeman, first-degree possession of marijuana
• Brandon Heath Cooley, first-degree burglary
• Timothy Lance Collins, first-degree burglary
• Eric Allen Clem, second-degree theft of property and third-degree burglary
• Bradley Joe Carter, breaking and entenng vehicle
• David Dewavne Williams, interfere with custody
• Bobby Ardel Sledge, second-degree recover stolen property
• Thomas Fleath Skikk, second-degree robbery
• David Wayne Monroe, second-degree robbery
• Kevin Wade McKinney, third-degree burglary
See Indictments, Page 7A
Experts say high winds came from ‘downburst’
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sonmifathensnews-couriercom Weather experts from the The National Weather Service olTice in Huntsville said Friday the wind that struck the .Athens Country Club area and other parts of Athens late Thursday came From a “downburst” and not a tornado.
"They say we had wind gusts tfom 50 to 70 miles-per-hour,” said Daphne Ellison with the Limestone County Emergency Management Agency. “They had confirmed wind gusts of 51 mph at the Limestone Correctional Facility and that was the same storm that moved through Athens.”
The storm dumped 2.5 inches of rain on Athens in a one-hour pcnod from 3 to 4 p.m. Ellison said that caused Flooding near the downtown area and forced the weather service to put Limestone County under a Flash flood warning.
Damage to the Lionheart Christian Academy and the Athens Golf and Country Club was minor although the roof of the building w'as damaged and debns ftom tree limbs was scattered throughout the golf course.
“We don’t think it was a tornado, but it produced some
See Downburst, Page 2A
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